


Stuck in the 50s

by HopeftJosie



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: Canon LGBTQ Character, F/F, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Female Character, LGBTQ Themes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-05 11:14:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25469842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HopeftJosie/pseuds/HopeftJosie
Summary: 'living in the 50s,two girls breaking the rules, tired of the ordinary.you called to her to look back at you,she didyou took this photoand fell in love.
Relationships: Hope Mikaelson/Josie Saltzman
Comments: 8
Kudos: 76





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> so this short story is something I wrote about two years ago, when I was only seventeen (tiny lol) and I wrote it for a friend who recommended this idea to me. the only alterations I've made is making the characters hope mikaelson and josie saltzman. in the original story, the characters are just people that I made up. 
> 
> as I mentioned this was written two years back when my writing was probably not as strong as I'd like to think it is now, but it's still one of my favourite's that I have written. so I hope you like it.
> 
> I'll probably break this up into two updates, because it's quite long and I like to drag things out :)
> 
> without further ado, enjoy.
> 
> -f.  
> @bewitchinglmj

Louisiana wasn’t the most exciting place in the world. In fact, I’d say there was nothing special about it all. Being a young woman with no love interest, no pregnancy or marriage made things a lot worse than they had to be. Oakheart was a very small town – the population was probably fewer than 5,000, which meant that everyone knew everyone. 

What I’m trying to say is that everyone I past in the street knew I wasn’t romantically linked to any guy in town and I never had been. People looked down on me for that – and they looked down on me because I liked to rebel against the standards and rules of this day and age: 1953.

I was working in a bakery owned by my grandmother, Dorothy. My grandmother never spoke to me about love or sex – mainly because it was sort of taboo to speak about things like that. She was the only person who never scolded me for not being like the girls from my high school: partnered up with a sophisticated boy. 

I’d been working for my grandmother’s bakery ever since I turned eighteen. We all thought it would be short-term because I was supposed to be leave school, meet a guy and get married. He would supply the payments for the house and the food and all those necessities; I would cook and clean and those were the skills that working at the bakery supplied me with. 

“How is your friend Hope doing?” My mother asked from across the dinner table, wearing a unintelligible look. Hope was a friend from high school, the only one friend I actually really had.

“She’s well, mother.” I returned. 

My mother thought Hope and I spent too much time together because our ways were too alike. Hope wasn’t dating a sophisticated boy either – and she had therefore tarnished us with the same brush because of it. We got gossiped about by her and her friends almost every week. 

“You better eat that quickly; your grandmother is going to want you at the bakery soon. You know how busy Sunday mornings are.” Picking up her empty late, my mother tucked in her chair and headed out the dining area – leaving me alone with my tuna noodle casserole. 

I let out a quiet sigh and fed myself a few more spoonfuls before taking my plate out into the kitchen, washing it and setting it aside to dry. 

-

“Good morning, gram.” I addressed the elderly woman who was using a table cloth to dry some mugs, pressing a soft kiss on her cheek before grabbing my apron from the counter.

“Good morning.” She had a rather strained voice. That’s how I knew she was getting old. “Have you eaten?”

I nodded and flashed her a toothy smile before waiting for our first customer of the morning. It was only 07:15 and things tended to perk up around 07:30. I was proved right when I had served eight neighbours by 07:35.

Now I was just waiting for a certain blue-eyed girl to walk through the door. I could feel the corners of my mouth threatening to curl into a smile when I spotted her parking up her bicycle at the front. 

The bell above the wooden door chimed as she entered, skipping over to me. “Hi,” she greeted softly. She leaned on the counter and rested her chin on the palm of her hands, batting her eyelashes at me childishly. 

“Good morning.” I leaned back to glance into the storage room where I made sure that my grandmother was distracted because even though she was the nicest family member, it didn’t mean her opinion of Hope differed to my parents. “What can I get you?”

“A croissant.” My friend peered over my shoulder to look at the basket of the freshly baked goods. I followed her gaze before looking back at her, her bottom lip pulled between her two front teeth. “Please.”

I spun around on my heel to pick out two and popped them into a white paper bag. “Don’t tell anyone.” I whispered gravelly and lowered myself so that I was on her level, sliding the bag over to her.

“Your secret is safe with me.” She replied just as quietly and gave me a knowing look. I felt my smile fade quite quickly. “Meet me at green hill at noon.” 

I furrowed my eyebrows but Hope was pulling open the door before I could ask any questions. I watched as she lifted her dress so she could board her bike and she sent me a friendly smile before pushing off. 

“Who was that?” I heard a familiar voice pipe up as my grandmother rejoined me. 

“Nobody.” I replied quickly and straightened my stance, grabbing the tablecloth from beside me so it looked like I was just wiping down the counter. Luckily, she didn’t ask any more questions and I spent the rest of the morning waiting for noon to come.

-

You could only get away with so much in the 1950s. I, and every other woman, was expected to wear flowing skirts or dresses with high heels for almost every occasion. Even though I liked to go against the rules, there were only so many boundaries I could push before I was too far gone. 

For my bike ride up to Green Hill to meet Hope, I’d attired myself in a dark green jumper with a white blouse underneath as well as some cocoa brown pants which I’d rolled up to just below the knee. 

I took my worn backpack from the back of my door to pack some. Realising I didn’t know how long I would be out for, I grabbed a bottle of water, some cheap perfume and my Polaroid camera. I figured she probably just wanted to get away for a few hours or maybe even the night.

I had to leave before my parents spotted me, because I was more than sure my dad would recognise the pants he had outgrown a few years ago which were covering my bottom half. I made sure the coast was clear before tip-toeing down the stairs and out the door, throwing my leg over the seat of my bike and pushing off down the street at almost full speed. 

Arriving at the familiar hill, now covered in blossoming roses and daffodils, I wasn’t surprised to see Hope already there. She was standing over her bicycle with her back to me, the bottom of her flowery beige dress rippling in the wind. The material of her dress was quite thin, meaning I could see the silhouette of her figure beneath it. I stood there and just admired her from a few steps away before announcing my arrival; I just wanted to look for a minute. Her hair was being blown gently by the wind, lifting from her back ever so slightly before settling again.

“Hey,” I finally said as I wrapped my hands around the handlebars of my bike and started pushing it up to her. 

Hope spun around to face me and her hair followed, swaying onto her chest and into her face as she elegantly tucked it behind her ear. “Hi.” 

I could see the front of her bike now and was excited when I saw she also had a backpack shoved into the wicker basket. I guess she had an adventure in mind. “Nice view, huh?” I was stood beside her now and gazed out to the sight of the small town - the town where nothing ever happened; the town that held nothing in store for people like me and Hope.

I wasn’t necessarily being sarcastic with my statement; the town was fairly beautiful to look at. It was beautiful from afar. When you lived in it, you saw all its flaws. “I guess so.” Hope said matter-of-factly but sighed afterwards. I watched out the corner of my eye as she tucked another loose strand of her fair hair behind her ear. I turned my head slightly to get a better look of her. The setting sun bounced off her features and her hair and made it look golden. I felt busted when she turned to face me and quickly averted myself.

“God,” I heard her soft voice speak up again in an agitated manner which almost alarmed me slightly. “We have to get out of here, Jo.” 

Her voice carried such desperation as she shook her head lightly at me. “Okay,” I responded almost instantly. I was confused and baffled at her sudden need but we’d fantasised about leaving Oakheart many times before. For some reason, I just never expected us to actually leave so soon. 

Giving me a thin smile, she tightened her grip on her bicycle and I tried to keep up with her sudden movements. I still wasn’t very sure on what we were doing or what was about to happen – but I trusted her and didn’t hesitate to follow.

-

“How do you feel biking to Jackson?” Hope asked as we slowly pedalled down a country road. I didn't recognise our surroundings now, even though we had only been riding for about ten minutes. I wasn't sure whether Hope knew either - but it appeared as though neither of us really cared.

My eyebrows stitched together and I felt the corners of my mouth twitching, unsure whether or not to break into laughter. “That’s a fifteen-hour ride.” I reminded her.

“Not if we stop off at a motel. Did you not bring some cash?” The older girl looked over her shoulder at me considering I was pedalling a little slower than her. She released her left hand from the handlebar to get a better look behind.

“You didn’t really tell me what was happening.” I chuckled softly and pushed down a little harder and faster on the pedals to get closer. “I haven’t brought much.”

She shrugged casually as she readjusted her position on the bike. “It’s okay; I did.”

I let out a slight laugh at her response. I wondered at what point she had planned this sudden escape and why she didn’t specify what we were doing. The nearest motel was at least forty minutes away from Oakheart and even though I biked quite a bit, I wasn’t prepared for the journey. By the time we arrived at the Twin Cabin resort, my thighs were burning so badly I feared I may have worn some of the muscle away. 

I lost all care for my bicycle and let it fall to the ground whilst I crumbled to the cobble, clutching onto my thighs in a desperate attempt to soothe the cramping. “I’m never cycling again!” I cried out dramatically whilst Hope secured her bike to a nearby railing.

“Stop being a baby.” She bantered and seemed completely unfazed by our travel. “I’m going to sort us a room.” 

Whilst she was gone, I found the energy to secure my bike near hers and take in the scenery. There was a lake around the back of the motel which was home to swans and ducklings. I sat myself down on the ground and stretched out my legs, closing my eyes and bowing my head back as I listened to the gentle ripples of the water and the birds singing.

I thought about my parents and whether they were questioning my whereabouts yet, whether my grandmother needed help closing up the bakery. I was in a complete daze until I felt someone ruffle my hair softly.

“Don’t fall asleep on me.” I heard an embodied voice say from behind me. I recognised it instantly. Hope had a voice that was so soft, I imagined that’s how honey would sound if it could talk. 

Opening my eyes and letting them readjust to light, I watched as my friend sat down beside me. “I won’t.” 

Hope took in a deep breath and her eyes closed as she did so. I took advantage of the moment and examined her features – her wide, cat like eyes and sculptured cheek bones. Her lips were a cherry blossom pink, and they were plump. That moment wasn’t the first time that I’d wondered how someone could be so perfect. Her dark eyelashes seemed more like a luxury feature rather than something that was actually meant to be there. They accentuated her eyes so much. 

Watching as she slowly tipped her head to the left, I let out a breath I didn’t realise I’d been holding. Hope nonchalantly opened up her eyes and blue eyes met brown. I felt myself get flustered instantly. It definitely wasn’t the first time she had caught me staring at her.

“Sorry,” I mumbled out and bowed my head.

“Why?” 

“For staring.” I met her eyes once more and felt a sense of calm after seeing that she was smiling faintly. 

Instead of responding, Hope averted her gaze to the ground below us. She ran the tips of her fingers along some loose stones before looking out at the lake. “Shall we go to our room?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so maybe this story will end up being three chapters long...I honestly forgot how long this thing is considering it's only a one shot.
> 
> anyways, I'm glad you all liked the first chapter! hopefully you will like this one too. enjoy!
> 
> -f.  
> @bewitchinglmj  
> p.s please bare in mind I was seventeen when I wrote this, so my writing wasn't amazing at this point (it still isn't tbh but whatever x)

I woke up the following morning to the sun seeping in through a crack in the curtain and hitting me right in the eye. I groaned and tried to throw the covers over my head and get back to sleep, but it was too late. 

I looked next to me and saw that Hope was still sleeping with her back to me. The clock on our bedside read 08:20 and to me, that was sleeping in. I was so used to being awake around 6AM because I had to be at the bakery for 7AM, therefore I hated sleeping past 6 or 7.

“Hope,” I croaked and used my right hand to gently shake the older girl who whined in response. “It’s time to wake up.”

“Noo...” She shifted her position so that she was facing me. I couldn’t hold back a smile after seeing that her baby hair was sticking to her hairline and her eyebrows were all messy. 

I glanced down at her lips as her tongue ran over her bottom one lazily. I felt my heart stop in my chest when I had that intrusive thought again – the thought of kissing my best friend, the thought of kissing a girl. “Come on.” My tone was a little harsher this time around and the tone caused Hope to open up one eye.

“You are the enemy.” Hope growled playfully; I rolled my eyes in response.

Sooner or later we were up on our feet and changing into our clothes. Hope had already paid the owner of Twin Cabin and now we were boarding our bicycles, flashing each other a smile before Hope took the lead. 

“Only 8 more hours to go.” I laughed as I stood up so I could get more speed and power.

“Adventure is out there!” My best friend raised her fist into the air as she yelled, tilting her head back as the breeze rippled her hair.

We only stopped twice on our way to Jackson; once so I could pee and twice so we could get a sandwich. We didn’t really want to stop for too long because it would just make our journey longer. I felt as though the anticipation of getting to Jackson would be better than actually arriving there; we’d never been before and had no idea what it had in store. It was probably the same as Oakheart – just a little bigger.

“Do you think you’ll ever get married?” Hope blurted out, looking over at me.

I batted my eyes at her for a moment before licking my lips and averting my gaze to the handlebars. “I don’t know.”

I was scared of never finding someone – of never getting married. Rebelling against society was thrilling but it if I was still doing it by the age of thirty or forty, it would probably just be shameful. I knew Hope would marry someday. She was exquisite, so of course she would find someone. If I didn’t have Hope to rebel with, I wouldn’t want to do it all.

“I think you will. You’ll leave me to rebel alone.” She replied with a small smirk.

The idea of leaving Hope and our usual ways just to marry a man and become a housewife was completely barbaric to me. “I would never.”

I looked over at her and watched as her lips curled into a broad smile, a fruity laugh escaping her lips. “That’s good to know.”

Eventually, we got to the last country lane that would lead us out into Jackson. My nerves were getting the best of me now – my hands were getting clammy and it was hard to keep a grip on the handlebars. As usual Hope was a few pedals ahead of me. 

I didn’t mind it though; I liked following behind. It gave me time to admire her. Our pushes were becoming less harsh and fast now that we know Jackson was just minutes away. It was relaxing to listen to the wind rustling the emerald hedges, the birds calling to one another.

“This land is your land, this land is my land.” I heard my best friend start, looking over her shoulder at me afterwards with a Cheshire cat smile, waiting for me to sing the next line.

I rolled my eyes but could feel crinkles forming near my eyes as a smile spread across my face. “From California to the New York Island,” 

I gave in and pushed down a little harder on my pedals so I could ride alongside her. She was still smiling as she turned her attention to the road ahead. “From the red wood forest to the Gulf Stream waters,”

We both looked over at each other for the next line, our smiles completely beaming now. “This land was made for you and me.” A soft, partly suppressed laugh fell from our lips afterwards and I asked myself whether that line meant to her what it meant to me. Maybe I thought too much into the Woody Guthrie song whenever we always sang together on adventures.

-

I was surprised that Hope and I had found so much to do in Jackson. We were three hours into roaming the streets and nipping into small stores we stumbled across. “I love this dress!” The older girl exclaimed, reaching up to take the black, elegant dress off its hanger. “I’m going to go and try this on.” She added after running her fingers across the material.

I sat with my back against the wall, knocking my pumps together and humming the familiar Woody Guthrie song. It wasn’t long until Hope returned still wearing the dress but now also a straw/wicker bonnet. She must’ve found it on her way to the changing room.

My mouth fell open slightly when I looked up at her, quickly scrambling to my feet so that we were eye level. “Wow.” I muttered as my eyes scanned her new outfit.

“Do you like it?” She asked and picked up the sides of it with her fingers, swaying the bottom of it.

“You look sublime.” I cringed internally at my choice of adjective but that was the only word I could think of describe how stunning she truly looked. “I mean, ravishing.” 

Hope was smiled softly. “Thank you, Jo.” 

All I could do was return the smile before she whirled around to go and pay the cashier for the outfit. There was nothing in the female section of the store that lived up to my taste but I would be socially killed if I dared to walk into the men’s section and pick something up for myself. Still, I was rather happy with the outfit I already had on.

Hopping back onto our form of transport, I couldn’t stop staring at the girl in front of me. Hope always looked ethereal but seeing her in this outfit, riding so freely and comfortable on her bicycle with her hair flowing in the wind was making my heart flutter.

“Look!” She came to a sudden stop and I struggled to pull the break because I’d been so distracted. My front tire knocked into her back one as I put my feet down on the ground to help me come to a halt.

I followed the direction her hand was pointing to and saw a fairly large gazebo with men dressed very elegantly in tuxedos, women dressed in pastel coloured dresses as they gossiped in the corner. The men were stood near a dining table that was draped in a white cloth, nibbling on the food which had been placed there.

“A wedding?” I turned my attention back to Hope, wondering what the big deal was.

“Free food.” She revealed what she was actually gesturing to. “We just need to act like we were invited.” 

I widened my eyes for a second before glancing down at my outfit. There was no way a girl would turn up to a wedding dressed like this. I panicked at the thought of the scowls and taunts which would be thrown my way if I actually walked up to the gazebo and quickly shook my head in disagreement.

“Why not? I thought we were rebels.” Hope turned to face me with a tinge of disappointment lacing her features.

“We are.” I scratched at the back of my neck. “But look at me.” 

“I am.” She quickly gave back, a smirk forming on her face. I felt the blood rushing to my cheeks and tilted my head down. “If you want, you can stand guard.” I heard her suggest. I darted my eyes from her to the gazebo. I nodded in agreement as we instinctively got back onto our bicycles to cycle a little closer to the event we were hoping to crash. 

Luckily, there were a few oak trees nearby and we parked our bikes behind the largest one we could find. Hope fiddled with the ends of her hair and readjusted her new bonnet. “I don’t really have a plan. I’m hoping to get near the food without having to communicate with anyone but, I’m dressed a little differently to the other guests.” 

Both our eyes landed on her black dress and then we exchanged a look, erupting into light, childish giggles afterwards. “You’ll be fine; just take what you can and get out of there.”

It was one of the first times I’d seen Hope look nervous. She kept making sure her outfit was intact and was stalling a little. “Okay, I’m going.” 

I nodded and ran my hand down her arm in a comforting manner. “You’ve got this.”

She sent me her trademark wink before strolling away across the grass, her hips swaying slightly. Her posture wasn’t normally this elegant but I knew why she was doing it, though a smirk was grazing my lips. I gulped once she got to the dining area and picked up a paper plate. 

A tall, dark-haired man looked over at her but looked away again – only to look back. “Oh no.” I whispered to myself, scanning the area around me.

The stranger was approaching her now and I thought we were busted. It looked as though the two were exchanging a few words but Hope was smiling and so was he, causing me to furrow my eyebrows. She was still managing to subtly fill her plate whilst they made conversation and I released a quiet laugh because I had no idea how the paper plate was holding the weight of the food. 

My face contoured into a look of disgust when the male draped his arm around my best friend’s waist. I saw her shoot a look in my direction but it wasn’t like I could necessarily do anything. How was she supposed to get away? 

I heard a few people start to cheer and it grew louder and simultaneous when people spotted the bride entering the gazebo, linking the arm of her husband. The dark-haired man released his grip on Hope and turned the other way, raising his hands and clapping loudly. 

“Get back here!” I mouthed blatantly when Hope met my gaze again. She widened her eyes at me and threw another donut onto her plate before making her way back over, turning to look back only once as she quickened her pace.

We quickly threw our backs onto the bark of the tree when she arrived back at ‘base’, holding the plate between us before chuckling. I took a bite out of the jam doughnut she had brought over whilst she nibbled on the sprinkled one.

“What was that man saying to you?” I asked with a laugh though I was genuinely interested.

“He asked me how I knew the bride and where my husband was.” Hope informed me, glancing over to make sure nobody had spotted us. “I just told him my husband had gone to the store. I ignored the bride part."

We stayed there munching on the food she had smuggled us before deciding we should get out of there. “We still have two chicken wings so I’m taking the plate.” The older girl hopped onto her bike with the plate still in her left hand.

I rolled my eyes though she couldn’t see me and pushed my bike onto the cobbled pavement before climbing on it. I took one last look over at the gazebo to see two men and the bride looking right at us, the one Hope had been talking to was pointing. “Go, go!” I exclaimed in panic and started pedalling – which was very hard considering the ground was cobbled. I was convinced Hope would drop the plate with her chicken wings on.

She looked over to see what was happening and a panicked expression took over her face once she realised we’d been caught. “Oh, God.”


	3. Chapter 3

It was all a panicked blur but we were racing down the cobble and almost being thrown off our bikes because how bumpy it was. Hope had already lost one chicken wing and now we couldn’t control our laughter. “Forget it,” She tossed the plate to the ground and tightened her grip on the handlebars, standing up and gaining more speed. 

We rode until the gazebo was out of sight and we arrived at a quiet country road. There were fields on either side of us and so we decided to take a break from our bikes, leaning them up against a tree and strolling up the road. 

I’d never felt so relaxed or so at home - simply strolling up an unfamiliar lane with a very familiar girl. I wanted to remember this moment, I wanted to capture it. I came to a halt when I remembered my camera and quickly ran back over to my bike, spotting the desired device in the basket.

Hope hadn’t noticed I’d gone back because she was too busy kicking around some loose stones, her hands tucked into her dress pockets. I approached her from behind and checked the film in the camera, bringing it up to my face and poking my eye through the peep hole so I could see what the camera could. 

“Hope,” I called and watched her spin one half of her body around to see me. That’s when I took the photo. 

“Hey!” She scolded me playfully after realising what I had done, but ran over to me afterwards so she could see the image. We had to wait a few seconds until it developed. And I couldn't hold back a quiet gasp once it did. It was one of the most beautiful photos I’d ever taken. It captured everything I wanted to remember: her, and this very moment. 

“This is beautiful.” I let her know, glancing next to me to see her examining the photo in detail. I wasn’t expecting her to look up at me because we were so close – so close that our noses almost grazed when she did. But neither of us flinched.

It was so silent now that all I could hear was the wind in the trees and the occasional wind chime in the distance. I felt frozen in time. I was struggling to comprehend what was happening as Hop’s now hooded eyes were darting from my eyes, to my lips. She looked sort of defeated; like she had been fighting this for awhile.

My heart was pounding so harshly in my chest I feared she could hear it. I’d been raised to believe what was happening right now (or what was about to happen) was very improper. It was unacceptable, it was taboo – it was every single synonym for wrong. 

So why did it feel so right?

To my surprise, Hope was first to lean in. The soft, porcelain skin of her hand reaching forward to cup my face and encourage me to lean in by pulling ever so slightly, just enough so I could feel her guidance. I took a deep breath and let my eyes close, feeling her lips come into contact with my own.

That’s all that happened at first. Our lips touched. I wondered whether she’d pull away after that and we’d just never speak of it again but she didn’t. She steadily let her lips part, and I was quick to capture her bottom one as I applied a cautious amount of suction.

I was so scared too scared to move anything but my lips. I was scared to loosen my tensed shoulders and relax because, I feared that would bring back reality. I didn’t want the moment to end.

“Josie,” Hope whispered shakily. I was startled when she released her hands from my face, pulling away slightly just to then kiss me again with a little more passion. 

I felt comfortable enough to let my lips own part a little more, and had to stifle a gasp when I felt her tongue brush gently and warily against mine. I was loosening up now and used my other senses to find the strap on my camera, wrapping it around my wrist so I could move my hands to Hope's lower back, pulling her into me.

Time moved so slowly; I felt like I was in a whirl of bliss when she pulled away. She waited a few more seconds before opening her eyes and meeting my gaze. I was still completely breathless, and she seemed to be too. 

“Was that okay?” She broke the silence with a quiet voice.

I nodded almost immediately. “More than.”

“I’ve been wanting to do that for a really long time.” Hope let me know; biting down on her lip as I unwillingly released my hands from her waist. I felt a gummy smile form on my face as the older girl ran her fingers through the ends of her hair and altered her slightly bent bonnet.

Once reality hit, I saw her eyes widen slightly, and then mine did too. We did a scan of our surroundings, finding ourselves lucky when we were able to confirm that nobody was around.

“So,” I cleared my throat to get her attention. “Where to now?”

“Anywhere, as long as I am with you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> god what a cheesy final line.
> 
> anyway, that concludes this one shot! I hope you all enjoyed it. I might write more like this in the future, I remember really enjoying creating this and even now reading it back makes me happy. I love this little story; so I hope you all did too.
> 
> -f.  
> @bewitchinghosie


End file.
